-
www.kemi.se
Hazardous chemicals in textiles
- A report from a governement assignment Conference – 29 October
2013
Anna Nylander & Susan Strömbom
-
The Swedish chemicals agency
• Authority under the Ministry of the Environment
• Limit the health and environmental risks associated with
chemicals promoting rules and legislation:
- Sweden
- in the EU
- Globally
• Contribute to achieving the Swedish environmental
quality objective of ´A Non-Toxic Environment´
www.kemi.se
-
The Swedish action plan for a toxic-free
everyday environment
• The objective - to reduce the risks of chemicals in our
daily
lives
• Protect the children
• Monitoring and dialogue
• Focus on - CMR, endocrine
disrupting- and allergic
substances
Towards a Non-Toxic
Environment
-
Need for a EU-regulation
• Textiles - a wide group of products
and applications
• Chemical-intensive manufacturing
• The chemicals used may be harmful
to health and/or to the environment
• Lack a coherent EU-regulation that
covers hazardous chemicals that
might be included in textiles
• EU-regulation would raise the
minimum level for the entire textile
industry
www.kemi.se
-
Chemicals in textile
Fiber production pesticides
Consumer use (washing), waste and recycling
Transport fungicides
Dyeing and finishing colourants, prints flame retardants,
impregnation, antibacterial substances
• In Sweden, the quantity of textile products put on the market
increased by 40% from 2000 to 2009
• Every year 145,000 tonnes of textiles are thrown away in
Denmark, Finland and Sweden altogether
Production of yarn and fabric
oils, adhesives, surfactants, brighteners,
defoamers
-
The elements of the governement
assignment • A non-exhaustive list of chemicals that may be
present in textiles
• A non-exhaustive list of hazardous chemicals that should be
limited
in textiles
• An evaluation of the risks that hazardous chemicals in
textiles
present
• A legislative proposal for a regulation at EU level
• The proposal for legislation should be accompanied by an
impact
assessment
• In dialogue with stakeholders
– Workshop with the textile industry and other stakeholders
in
Sweden (30 in total)
– Questionnaire to stakeholders (80 in total) within Sweden and
in
EU
www.kemi.se
-
Delimitations
• The Swedish Chemicals Agency has focused on the
pure textile material of the final product
• Leather or other material
parts as for example metals in
buttons, zippers or other details
of metal or plastic on the textile
• Biocides are not covered since they
are covered in the Biocidal Products
Regulation (EU) No 528/2012
www.kemi.se
NOT
INCLUDED
-
Exposure of hazardous chemicals
• Direct exposure via the skin; mainly allergies: A Swedish
study shows that at least every hundred
person is allergic to three disperse dyes tested
• Direct exposure to children when sucking on
textiles
• Dermal and oral indirect exposure from indoor
dust
• Environmental exposure – mostly laundry and
waste
www.kemi.se
N
N N
OH
O2N
Disperse Blue 106
-
Non-exhausive list of hazardous chemicals
• Gross list of 1,900 chemicals that may have hazardous
properties
• 165 chemical substances with certain harmonised
classifications according to CLP regulation:
– 59 Carcinogenic substances, 9 Mutagenic substances, 39
substances toxic to Reproduction (CMR 1)
– 70 allergenic substances Skin and respiratory
sensitisation
– 57 substances with environmentally hazardous, long-term
effects
(Aquatic Chronic 1)
– In addition - 24 substances on the candidate list in Reach
www.kemi.se
-
The objectives of the evaluation
1. A unified regulation at EU level to effectively target
hazardous chemicals in textiles in the EU
2. To limit the content of hazardous chemicals in textile
products intended for consumer use.
3. To achieve a regulation that is practical; i.e.
implementable, enforceable and manageable, for
the affected parties.
www.kemi.se
-
Regulatory options
• Expanding the Fibre Labelling regulation – fulfill
the 3 options
– BUT not very popular amongst the Swedish
companies
• REACH - not fulfilling the 3 options
– BUT is the preferred regulatory option by
many of the stakeholders consulted
– Companies in Sweden ask for a separate
chapter on REACH for articles
www.kemi.se
-
Overall conclusion
• There is a large number of chemical substances used in
textile production (1900 chemicals in non-exhaustive
mapping)
• A regulation based on intrinsic properties of the
substances is a way to handle this large number of
chemicals instead of a risk based approach as in Reach
• The Fibre Labeling Regulation could be one way of
regulating
hazardous chemicals in textiles (further assessment needed)
• An EU regulation would benefit the textile industry since
the
requirements would be harmonised
• An EU regulation would raise the minimum level for the
entire
textile industry
www.kemi.se
-
The way forward
• Nordic meeting (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland,
Faroe Islands) on 4-5 december on hazardous
chemicals in textiles to discuss a future regulation
• Present the report at BfR meeting (The Federal Institute
for Risk Assessment) in Germany
• Textiles should be part of the EU-strategy for a non-toxic
environment in the 7th Environment Action Program
www.kemi.se
-
Thank you! [email protected]
[email protected]
www.kemi.se
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
